It was finally my Super Kitty who inspired me to write and publish a picture book. She'd been battling cancer for nearly a year and died just before I got the book published. It's a bitter sweet publication, but I know my Super Kitty can still teach everyone what it means to be strong. She lost a limb but never let it slow her down. She went through chemo treatments like they were just a normal part of her day. The more she got sick, the more she coped. She was never thrown off-course at what life tossed her. Instead, she exhibited a resilience and adaptability that most people could look up to.

Riding the wave of publication, I also published Nautical Awakening. It was finally time! I'd been sitting on this novel for quite some time, trying to find just the right home for it, but, if anything, this past year has taught me that you don't know how much time you have left, so do what you have to do now. No more putting my writing off! It's time now. Because all the time we have for certain is now. Let's get to it!

We all have them. The Winter Blues. It should be a song...By February, duh deh duh deh duh. We're all ready for spring. Duh deh duh deh duh.It's still winter, and the snow's still falling!

This winter has been full of flu, shoveling, and shivering, but it's also a great time for staying indoors and writing. That said, I'm already at work on my next (top secret) novel, and still trying to get the first one published. Not to worry, my New Year's resolution is to get it published by hook or by crook.

Finally, after clinging to the last 80 degree days, it is time to embrace autumn. I accept it reluctantly, but the truth is, I do like fall. I love the colorful foliage and the pumpkin-spiced lattes, the apple picking and post-season baseball. I love Halloween, celebrating with spooky movies and costumes.

I guess autumn just gets a bad rap because it signals that winter is coming. The months get darker and colder, and we all know how bad a New England winter can be. I suppose there's just one solution then. Let's live in the autumnal moment and forget about what comes next!

My play, Michael's Wedding, a winner of the Clan na Gael Playwright Competition, was performed on stage by talented actors this fall. Thank you to anyone who made it to see the show, and I thank Clan na Gael for the opportunity.

While thinking about hurricanes swirling around loved ones elsewhere, a bunch of writers got together at the Fiction Fest conference in Norwalk, Connecticut. I am back home, exhausted, and so glad to have been a part of this! The writers are awesome and inspiring and so willing to give advice and tips to anyone who asks. They are wells of helpful information. I wonder how they can do it all—work, family, taking care of the everyday house and cooking and health and cleaning, and still have time to watch television (while my Netflix account sits neglected like a withered and forgotten houseplant). I met some great people, took some great notes, and am leaving the weekend as a better writer.

Special shout-out to the three authors who signed books for me this weekend: Kristan Higgans, Heather Graham, and Jamie Pope!

In other news, I won a playwright award—the 2017 Clan na Gael Playwright Competition! My one-act play, Michael’s Wedding, will be given a featured reading in the coming months.

Of course, this with teaching and editing a film and taking care of the oodles of animals is keeping me busy, but I do have some plans and goals for writing, too. As we cling on to the last official days of summer and face the start of fall, we all must prioritize and prepare for the change that comes. Let’s just make sure we keep books and pumpkin coffee in the game plan. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, long story, but let's just say, when a line is long, one should always raid the dessert table first.

I hope everyone is having a spectacular summer! My best news is that I have finished writing the manuscript for my first novel! Meg Cabot recommends Jeff Herman's Guide to Bok Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents. I have this one, and I have also been scouring the internet in hot pursuit of just the right home for my book!

I definitely recommend summer as a time for writing and reading, so relax, get your feet up, grab a cold drink, and hit the books!